PHOTOS: Taschen’s passion for the high-end book trade
There’s a contemporary yet elegant ambience at Taschen’s retail store on Beverly Drive, where the wares include the publishing house’s sleek, large-scale art books with prices in the thousands. The German firm is marking its 30th year. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
The Beverly Hills location is one of several Taschen retail stores; in Los Angeles, there’s another near the Grove shopping area. Taschen has continued to expand its high-end retail space during what have been difficult times for independent bookstores in Southern California. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
A large-scale tome is arrayed at the Taschen store in Beverly Hills. The publishing house is known for its XXL-format books, which originated in 1999 with “SUMO,” a 460-page tribute to fashion photographer Helmut Newton that weighed 66 pounds. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
A customer browses at the Beverly Drive store whose interior was designed by Philippe Starck. Taschen retail operations give Taschen more control over the display and showcasing of its collection of art books -- producing roughly 100 new titles a year. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
A Peter Beard collection that retails for $7,000 is displayed in Beverly Hills. “Opening a bookstore that sells your own books cuts out the middleman and saves money,” said Lee Kaplan, owner of Arcana: Books on the Arts in Santa Monica, which sells Taschen books. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
As pedestrians breeze along the street, Nick Cloutman tends to the Beverly Hills store. The company’s founder, Benedikt Tauschen, plans to open more international stores, including in Mexico City. (Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
